Council waives sewerage fees for Gibson residents

An endeavor by the parish to make it more affordable for Jarvis community residents in Gibson to connect to the public sewer system was approved last week.

Chance RyanStaff Writer

An endeavor by the parish to make it more affordable for Jarvis community residents in Gibson to connect to the public sewer system was approved last week.The Terrebonne Parish Council unanimously approved a provision to waive a roughly $450 sewerage connection fee for residents of the low- to moderate-income neighborhood of Jarvis.The waiver is in conjunction with the parish's plans to extend, by about 2,500 feet, a gravity sewerage line from an existing treatment center near the 15 odd residencies on Parish Road.The sewer line extension will allow residents to connect to the parish's public sewerage system instead of relying on septic tanks, which can be problematic.Necessary plumbing costs will still apply to connect to the gravity sewerage line, which will then transfer the waste to a sewerage lift station where it will be pumped into the existing waste treatment center on Jarvis Lane.Plumbing costs will vary depending on location.The project is still in the development stages and is being designed by the engineering firm T. Baker Smith.Mike Ordogne, head of parish Pollution Control, said he expects to break ground by August.The project is expected to cost about $450,00 and will come from District 2's general fund.Connecting to the public sewerage system will provide more environmental protection and enhance the sanitary conditions of the community and surrounding neighborhoods, said Parish Manager Al Levron.“This is definitely a positive thing,” he said. “We recognize that this is a low- to moderate income area, and the people who live there are not financially capable of paying those fees. So the Parish Council basically enacted a waiver, which is a constitutional provision that we have, that we can forgo fees for the aide of the needy.”Septic tanks being used in the community are not inspected by the parish and could have corrosion and leakage issues, which could cause waste to seep into canals or bayous.A sewerage system eliminates those issues, Ordogne said.By connecting to the sewer system, the neighborhood will meet the requirements of the state departments of Health and Hospitals and Environmental Quality, he said.“Instead of discharging to a canal or a roadside ditch, waste will be able to go to a collection and treatment system that meets the proper requirements, which makes it more sanitary,” Ordogne said.The sewer lift station is designed with future sewer extension in mind once more money becomes available, Ordogne said.Future sewerage projects within the parish are on the horizon, he saidThe parish has already requested a $23 million loan from the Department of Environmental Quality for future sewerage projects, he said.“We have programs in place — it's just a matter of time before we get funding approval,” Ordogne said.

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